“Anoka tower. Husky amphib three-three-three-hotel-uniform is at Fox Hollow with India ready to taxi VFR for northbound departure.”
“Husky amphib triple-three-hotel-uniform. Cleared to taxi to runway niner via taxiway golf.”
It’s March 1st, 2008 in Minnesota…and we’re taxiing out to Runway 9 at Anoka County airport in a Husky A-1B on amphibious floats. 
Ahh…what a sight to behold. People in 172’s and Cherokees stare as we move along the taxiway. There isn’t a lake with open water to be found in a couple hundred miles but, then again, that’s why we’re on amphibious floats. It’s a gorgeous 1st of March, which certainly ensures that we will end the month with wretched cold and snowy weather. The sun is shining and it is 35°F with just a bit of wind out of the southeast. I’ve got my Zen plugged into my headset with “Far Side of the World” by Jimmy Buffet playing as Todd takes care of the engine run-up duties and checks the controls. I love to start flights listening to this song because the words pretty much describe what I’m feeling every time I strap into an aircraft.
We sit in the run-up area for a bit to give the engine a chance to warm and limber up before we ask her to propel us skyward. The powerful O-360 may not have run in two months, but she’s purring like a kitten indicating she’s ready for an adventure. We taxi up to the hold line and tower clears us to depart after a Cessna 172 touches down. Todd advances the throttle and the prop governor brings the prop in to 2,500 rpm. We’re quickly rolling and it’s “wheels-up” within a few hundred feet. Todd flips the gear switch and I watch as the nose wheels disappear into the tips of the sleek Wipline 2100’s. I look over my left shoulder and just catch sight of an eagle gliding along perpendicular to our flight path at about 200 feet. It feels good to be back in the air.
We level off at 2,000 feet AGL and make left turn northward. The air is smooth and we’re clipping along at about 130 mph (groundspeed) with nothing but sun and open air stretched out ahead of us. We fly over towns, lakes, and forests making comments along the way about interesting things we see. The lakes are dotted with homemade ice rinks, snowmobile tracks, and ice fishers. As we move north, the houses become fewer and fewer and are replaced by forest. We reach Lake Mil Lacs fairly quickly, although I’ve lost track of time as I often do when flying with Todd. With him as P.I.C. on this flight, my role shifts to scanning for traffic and enjoying the scenery. The lake looks great this year and the ice appears smooth and solid. We circle the lake and check out some of the people ice fishing below. In some places roads have been plowed on the surface of the lake to allow people to reach their fishing houses. Though the houses are gone now, you can still see the “streets” and “driveways” that mark the rows of ice fishing shelters. From the air it looks like another housing development…in a very strange location. On the north side of the lake we even see a kite-boarding gathering and maybe 30-40 kites. No chance they are having as much fun as us.
We turn southwest and head to Little Falls to grab a pop, use the restroom, and take a quick break. Small airports are the best places to stop for gas or food…period. As a pilot, you can almost always find someone hanging out in the terminal who wants to talk aviation. We land at Little Falls and taxi up to the small terminal. It’s a one story building with about four or five rooms, some couches, tables, the standard weather computer, and a pop machine. As I exit the restroom, an older gentleman is there waiting to use it and he shoots me a smile that catches me off-guard. I smile and call him “sir”. His look says “thanks” and I can’t figure out why, but I deduce in my mind that he does look vaguely familiar. Moments later he emerges from the restroom, gives a quick wave to Todd and I, and exits the terminal headed for a twin Bonanza waiting on the ramp. We